DD 4 days old - too late to start breast feeding

[furryfriends57]

Hi
Hoping someone can help me, DD2 is 4 days old and I had planned on breast feeding after having to stop with DD1 when she was admitted to neonatal with a serious infection. DD2 latched on soon after being born but later than day her blood sugars dropped and peadiatrician recommended formula as my supply wasn't good enough and she was very lethargic. So here we are 4 days later and my boobs feel full and warm. I am hoping it isnt mastitis so being optimistic am wondering if milk has come in and I could now start breastfeeding or even express and feed in bottles. Any words of wisdom would be great.
Thanks so much.

It is absolutely not too late at all.

What a shame it would be to switch to formula when you planned to bf....just get yourself comfortable and get going :)

Prob no need to do anything else, but of course you can ask the midwife to come and help you, as it is such early days. You don't need to wait for the midwife though. Just do it :)

The first few days, women normally produce colostrum then milk after that so no, it's definitely not too late.

Try and feed as much as your DD wants to and express a little milk if you still feel that you have too much.
Don't forget to keep yourself fuelled and hydrated.

Sorry to hear that DD has been ill and congratulations on the new baby :)

Thanks so much for your replies. Does anyone know how I could express rather than bottle feed, I have a pump from last time that I could use. At least DH could be involved if I express instead of breast feed but maybe I am nuts to even think of this.

Don't be silly, you're not nuts. Expressing can be hard but if you feel up to it, then try.
I found that expressing in the morning is better rather than the afternoon. I also found that expressing from the other breast whilst DS fed from the other one easier.
I would advise not to try and express too much because you might produce more milk than you need.

Honestly, I think you should just concentrate on getting bf going 'direct' for the time being :)

Then when things are an even keel, you can consider expressing.

Long-term expressing and only expressing is of course possible, but it is hard work - don't underestimate the hassle!

If you feel it is right for you, then think about it in a week or so, maybe?

just to add dd was in scbu and didn't get latched on till she was four days old. she is now 5mo and ebf, so it absolutely isn't too late for you.

I was advised to express after feeds and give the expressed milk as top ups, until dd started to gain weight.

I still express once a day and dp gives the milk as a top up after her evening feed, he likes to be able to feed dd, it keeps her used to a bottle, and (in theory) fills her up so she will sleep longer.

Best of luck OP :) I'm not remotely an expert but would also recommending latching baby on instead of expressing for now. Expressing is very tiring. At least if baby is latched on direct it's possible that you can to lie down and feed her in bed, and snooze a little.

I'd try bf directly to begin with as it's likely to be better at building up supply - then you can worry about expressibg and getting your DH helping once your supply has stabilised (although exclusively expressing is a huge ask).

Just bf your baby and let your breasts start to make the milk to meet demand. This will be important so as much time bf as possible. Check on position so you don't get sore. Best wishes

Thanks so much everyone for your helpful tips and encouragement. I latched on DD twice today and the good news is that she is interested and latched on well. I left her on for 15 mins each side and she sucked well. She was very unsettled after both feeds and only settled on topping up with formula, I'm not surprised as she is a milk monster and was on 50mls formula every 4 hours. I will continue to offer boobs at each feed and hope my supply gets going quickly. Least I can say I tried if nothing else.
Thanks again. xxx

Well done to both of you.

Hi, no its not too late and good luck.
it didn't work out for me at all, for one reason or another so can't give you advice.
Midwife told me it wasn't too late and I was the same as you and had ds1 not got ill and needed me so much, I could have continued well after the 3 weeks I managed.
Best wishes

Well done! To really get your supply going try offering both breasts twice so side A, then B, then A, then B. It'll make your feed times longer to give her the same amount if milk but it should reduce the dependence on formula top ups.

Good for you. Go for it.

Do you know what? It really really pisses me off when doctors, mws etc refer to a mother's supply 'not being good enough'. It is such a value judgment and infers blame. It is entirely natural for milk to take 2,3,4 days to come in and accordingly some babies lose weight.

Women should be supported to bf in these circumstances not bullied into using formula. On one hand everyone pushes the bf agenda but when push comes to shove the practical help and encouragement is sadly lacking. Makes my blood boil.